Planning Partnerships

Partnerships in adult education enhance our success.

·              Adult Learners need educational skills, but they often need social services, public health services, job training, senior citizen services, mental health services and other support services.   The absence of those support services can interfere with participation in adult education.

·              Community based organizations (CBOs) and Faith based organizations (FBOs) are grass roots organizations that work directly with undereducated adults to provide a variety of services.  Because of that close relationship with those they serve, their insights into client's needs and their access to their clients, they are valuable partners in planning and delivering our services. 

·              We share the same clients with many public and non-profit organizations.  Those organizations are valuable two-way referral points for adult education.

·              The National Evaluation of Adult Education (Development Associates, 1991) found that one of the factors for effective adult education programs was linkage with at least five other agencies, for the reasons cited above.  By establishing ongoing relationships or linkages, student services are expedited.

Other agencies and community based organizations are valuable colleagues for planning and delivering adult services.   It is worth the effort to build those relationships at the state level and to encourage those relationships at the local level.

• Thank you to Stephanie Wolo, Virginia Tech Adult Education Graduate Student who compiled the resources.

• Thank you to ProLiteracy who partnered on this project.

We often serve the same adults as other state organization.  Those organizations are often looking for opportunities to collaborate in delivering their services.  Refer to the NAEPDC publication “Coordinated Funding Streams”  (http://naepdc.org/publications/CFS7-03.pdf) for hints on how to access key colleagues in other agencies.

Here are some examples of how state offices are engaging other agencies and community based organizations in planning and delivering services.

State Partners in State Planning:  What are some of the options for engaging partner agencies at the state level in planning and coordinating services?

1.   Maine’s Quarterly Partnership Meetings: 

a.      Contact:  Marcia Cook, 207.624.6753, Marcia.cook@maine.gov

b.      Members include Health & Human Services (TANF), Corrections, Education, Labor, University College, Literacy Volunteers of Maine, Vocational and Rehabilitation Services, and Maine Centers for Women, Work, and Community.

c.      Over the last two years they have conducted research on the extent of learning disabilities across our agencies and will present the findings to the Commissioner of Education.

2. Taskforces and workgroups

a.      South Dakota

i.                    Contact:  Marcia Hess:  Phone (605) 773-3101, E-mail: marcia.hess@state.sd.us

ii.                  Members include Community Based Organizations, Faith Based Organizations, Tribal Colleges, and LEA partners).

3.  Online Surveys:  Either as a stand-alone strategy or as a precursor to a state planning meeting, online surveys from partners provide input regarding adults’ educational needs from the perspective of the partner organization as well as ideas for options for collaboration.

a.      Sample Online Stakeholders Surveys are in the NAEPDC Resource Library.

i.      http://naepdc.org/resource_library/program%20planning%20library/needs%20assessment/information%20sources%20and%20strategies/Sample%20Stakeholders%20Survey.doc

b.      South Dakota Contact Marcia Hess: Phone (605) 773-3101, E-mail: marcia.hess@state.sd.us) and the State of Washington Contact Lee Jewett: Phone (253) 383-3951, email: ljewett@tchonline.org  have successfully developed and used their own stakeholder surveys.

4.    State Advisory Boards:  A number of states use standing advisory boards to provide input into planning and coordinating services:

a.      New Mexico (Called the State Resource Team):  Contact Pam Etre-Perez, Phone:  (505) 476-6533, E-Mail: pam.etre-perez@state.nm.us  

b.      Maine:  Becky Dyer, Phone:  (207) 624-6755, email:  becky.dyer@maine.gov   

c.      Rhode Island:  Elizabeth Jardine, Phone: (401) 222.8933,  E-Mail:  Elizabeth.Jardine@ride.ri.gov     

d.      Mississippi:  Eloise Richardson, Phone: (601) 432-6687, E-Mail: eloisejr@sbcjc.cc.ms.us
 

5.   Cabinet Level Collaboration.  In Rhode Island, Education, Training, and Human Services coordinate their policy and services.

                                                   i.      Contact:  Johan Uvin:  Phone: (401) 222-8950, E-mail: johan.uvin@ride.ri.gov

Local adult education providers look to the State for guidance on how to plan and implement adult education services.  Just as at the state level, partner organizations contribute to the services provided at the local level.  Here are some examples that states use to encourage partnerships at the delivery level.

Local Partnerships:  What are some strategies that state offices use to encourage and enable collaboration at the local level?

1.   Literacy Grants:  The state provides funding for community based organizations.  The funds are applied for by the local adult education provider. 

a.      Missouri:  Contact, Ron Jewell Phone: (573) 526-4822 E-mail: ron.jewell@dese.mo.gov 

2.   Letters of Intent:  In 1998 new local multi-year plans were to be developed.  The Virginia state office sent out a preliminary request for “letters of intent” to all eligible applicants and throughout the state via newspaper ads.  The request was for a letter from any organization that intended to apply for funds.  As a result, for example, the state office received four letters of intent from one county:  a public school, a public library, a community college and a community based organization.  Applications were sent to all four with the instruction that they were to get together to develop a comprehensive plan with one of the organizations serving as the fiscal agent and signed off by all four. 

3.  Local Applications:  State uses the local application process to encourage and enable collaboration.

a.      Maine: 

                                                   i.      Local Applicants must show how they intend to collaborate with Literacy Volunteers of Maine.  There is a required Memorandum of Understanding with support and partner agencies in the multi-year plan applications.

                                                 ii.      Contact:  Phone:  (207) 624-6755, email:  TBD

b.      Rhode Island

                                                   i.      Prioritizes a subset of state funding for the delivery of integrated services including education, training, and wraparound services.  We look for MOUs as evidence.

                                                 ii.      Contact:  Johan Uvin:  Phone: (401) 222-8950, E-mail: johan.uvin@ride.ri.gov
 

c.       South Dakota

                                                   i.      Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs):  The state provides guidance  for developing MOUs as a means of encouraging collaboration.

d.      Contact:  Marcia Hess:  Phone: (605) 773-3101, E-mail: marcia.hess@state.sd.us

4.       Joint Conferences:

a.       Mississippi

                                                   i.      Joint conferences and regional conferences are held locally to get local support agencies to the table to work together.  Eloise Richardson:  Phone: (601) 432-6687, E-Mail: eloisejr@sbcjc.cc.ms.us